


The Prodigal Son

by TulipGirl



Category: Lucifer (TV), deckerstar - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:47:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27956369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TulipGirl/pseuds/TulipGirl
Summary: This story is set at the end of Season 3, not long after Chloe has found out about Lucifer, but assuming that she handled it a bit better than actually played out in Season 4. In this version, they became an actual couple much earlier. Eve and Michael do not feature predominately in my story, mainly because I didn’t really care for their characters as they were depicted on the show. In particular, I did not like that Michael was wicked, so I have amended his character a little. Another small amendment that has been made is to change Amenadiel’s name to Cassiel because I wanted him to have an actual Angel’s name, and according to some legends, Cassiel was also cast out of Heaven in a similar manner to Lucifer. In this story, though, Cassiel [Amenadiel] does not feature apart from a few minor references. It is assumed he ascended back to Heaven (with Charlotte Richard’s soul) and hasn’t returned. He is not in a relationship with Linda and they do not have a baby. I have also ignored the last two episodes of Season 3, and therefore my brief depiction of Azrael, the Angel of Death, is not as she appears in the series.
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	1. Chloe's Birthday

The shrill tone of Chloe’s phone alarm rose her from her heavy slumber. She’d forgotten to turn it off and now it was waking her up at 6am unnecessarily. It was her day off and because Trixie stayed at Dan’s last night she didn’t have any reason to get up this early. She blindly swotted her hand around on the bedside table trying to silence the cacophony.

“Aargh! What is that atrocious noise,” Lucifer groaned from where he lay beside her.  
“Sorry, I forgot about my alarm,” Chloe apologised as she hit the ‘off’ icon on the phone and peace resumed.

It has been a couple of months since the stand-off with Pierce/Cain and she’d seen his Devil face and he’d saved her life by shielding her with his wings. Chloe’s immediate reaction to that situation had been fear, and she had run away at first. Fortunately, Linda had found her the next day and together they had gone to see Lucifer to discuss the situation. He had been extremely relieved that she was coping well with the situation. She had even been able to help nurse his wings back to health and now they had returned to their previous full-feathered glory.

Chloe still couldn’t believe she was dating an Angel, complete with wings! When she had first seen them fully extended they had incited more of a reaction in her than his Devil face had, although it was one of general shock and awe rather than fear. But now she was used to them. Trixie had also seen the wings, although not the Devil face, and she too loved them. She was always asking Lucifer questions about them and requesting he fly her places, which he occasionally did. Slowly she was wearing down his previously apprehensive attitude towards the child.

He hadn’t yet declared his true feelings to Chloe, at least not in actual words, but there were other indications that he cared deeply for her. They were enjoying an extremely energetic period of their relationship sex wise. His appetite was almost insatiable, but he had told her on many occasions, that sex with her was different from his previous conquests … much more enjoyable and emotionally rewarding. This had helped with her initial insecurities regarding his huge number of previous lovers.

Her peaceful day-dreaming and reminiscing was interrupted by Lucifer’s movements in the bed beside her. At first she assumed he was trying to seduce her … again. But instead he simply tapped her gently on the shoulder.

“Hey … Happy Birthday Detective,” he said holding out a small box that was adorned in a red bow.

She had completely forgotten about her birthday. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. She and Trixie had discussed it earlier in the week, and they planned a special dinner. But in the past 48 hours, what with her workload and her relationship with the sex-Angel himself, she had not thought about it at all.

Smiling she took the box from him. She still wore the bullet necklace which had been his gift to her last year and she wondered what on Earth he could have gotten her this time. He did seem to have a knack for selecting perfect gifts. She undid the bow and opened the box. Inside were a pair of earrings, unlike any earrings she had ever seen before. They were small glass spheres about the same size as a marble and inside each one was what looked like a flame or more precisely a small ball of flame … the orbs of fire were hovering perfectly within the centre of their glass cases and flickering away seemingly without need for the normal fuels that fire required, oxygen and something to burn. She was fascinated and picked one up to study it more closely.

“Is that? … Fire?” she asked incredulously.  
“Yep … well more specifically they’re stars,” he explained proudly.  
“What? Stars! How? In there!” she said looking at them even more closely.

Lucifer shrugged but he was also smiling, obviously pleased with himself.

“It was easy really … compared to the sun this was nothing, and I thought you might like them.”  
“They’re amazing … Wait, what did you say about the sun? Did you make these stars? And you made the sun? … Of course, you made the sun. My boyfriend made the sun!” she exclaimed in an increasingly crazed sounding voice.

He soothed her with a gentle hug and then proceeded to take each earring out of the box and affix them to her earlobes.

“Lucifer, may I ask you something?” she asked as he was fiddling with the last one.  
“Of course,” he said without hesitation.

They had had quite a few frank discussions over the past few weeks and he was getting much more accustomed to sharing his story with her.

“How old are you?”

He didn’t reply straight away. Rather he appeared to go into a bit of a trance for a few moments. Was he remembering? Counting? Getting freaked out? Chloe wasn’t entirely sure. Just as she was starting to get worried he answered.

“Well, I was ‘born’ around the same time as the universe was created. Human scientists estimate that was 13 billion years ago, I have no reason to doubt them.”

He looked over at her as he said that and must have noticed her look of absolute incomprehension at the figure he had just said so he continued …

“But years feel different in Heaven, and also in Hell, eons can pass for us in the blink of an eye but they can also drag on like an eternity. Certainly, Hell years feel slow, there are many loops and bends in time so what feels like 1,000 years may only be 6 months on Earth.”  
“What on Earth did you do for all those years?”  
“Well, not much of my time was spent on Earth,” he stated and then hurried to add to his explanation. “I helped create the Earth and the larger universe. My job, in particular, was in regards to light, you know the “Let there be light” declaration from the bible. As I said, I built the sun and all the stars.”  
“You created light?” She asked incredulously.  
“I'm made of light, my dear Detective, it radiates from within me. All Angels are made of light, we are just cloaked in a human-like exterior,” He said casually as if they were just discussing the weather.

It took her a moment to process that information, and some stuff didn’t make much sense, like what happened to the light when he was hurt in her presence? She’d definitely seen human blood pour out of him on those occasions. But she really wanted to know about the stars.

“How do you make a star?”  
“Well, you hold your arms out like this,” he said as he demonstrated by extending his arms and spacing them about 30cm apart, palms of his hands facing each other, “and you say a few chants and concentrate really hard and the light and fire exits from me and starts to channel into whatever shape I desire it to take, which in that case was a very large sphere. You do that for quite a long time until the star, or sun, is as big as it needs to be.”  
“Just like that? You make is sound so easy.”  
“Well we all have our talents,” he surmised, “Actually, I haven’t had to do it in a very long time, Earth’s sun was the last star that I created, before these two little babies. Father asked for a special star to be created close to Earth as he had an important project that he was commencing that required a star to be in just the right position and just the right size.”  
“So he could create Earth?”  
“Not exactly, Earth already existed, remember Bible school Detective? In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. It’s just that there was no light so he asked me to create some.”  
“So the special project was?” Chloe ventured, although she was fairly certain she already knew.  
“Plants, Animals, and eventually Humanity,” he confirmed, “Everything needed light and heat.”  
“Wow.”  
“Meh, just a few days’ work really, no biggie.”

Lucifer smiled in a cocky way and was immediately on the receiving end of a pillow being thrown at him. They dissolved into laughter which turned into kissing, cuddling, and was beginning to become more. When suddenly a thought occurred to Chloe.

“Am I your favourite human?” She asked distracting him from his more amorous intentions.  
“Yes,” he responded without hesitation, before continuing to kiss her neck and shoulders.  
“But why me? I’m so ordinary … surely you have met and been with some amazing humans over the ages …” she trailed off as he put a finger to her lips to silence her.  
“Detective … Chloe… don’t call yourself ordinary, it simply isn’t true. You are amazing. But in answer to your question, there is possibly a reason why you and I are together, something I have been meaning to tell you for a while …”

She was intrigued now.

“Haven’t you noticed that I have a rather magnetic personality and attract people of all types? It’s how I am able to get them to divulge their desires to me and why I used to have a never-ending parade of suitors.”  
“Yes, I had noticed that … and it doesn’t work on me … am I the only one?”  
“The only one in the history of humanity, and as you say I have met a lot of people. I believe Father may have had some influence in your ability to resist me …”

Lucifer proceeded to tell her about his Father’s meddling and involvement in her conception. Her reactions passed through a spectrum of surprise, confusion, anger, and finally acceptance.

“So we were meant to be,” she finally concluded “Soul mates.” 

“I am glad you see it that way … I myself had a hard time dealing with the idea that Father meddled.”  
“It doesn’t sound like something that a vengeful father would do for a wayward child, more like something a Father would do if he wanted to perhaps repair his relationship with his son.”  
“You don’t know my Father … that is not really his style,” he countered immediately.  
“Lucifer, can I ask you another question?” she asked quietly.

He looked at her and already knew what she was going to ask. He took a deep breath in preparation and before she could ask he spoke.

“I defied him,” he said simply.

He was no longer looking at her, rather he gazed rather intently out the window.

“I thought you led a rebellion … at least that is what the Bible says. She hadn’t read the Bible until just a few weeks ago, but seeing as this was now her life she thought she’d better catch up on her theological history.  
“A rebellion … at least the human context of the word rebellion is not accurate, there was no war, no armies, and no winners that’s for sure. Just me acting out on my own and being punished for it,” He said bitterly.  
“Why?”

He was quiet for a long time. It was a question he’d asked himself many times over the ages. He thought he knew the answer, but lately, he wasn’t sure.

“I desired free-will,” he eventually said.  
“You didn’t already have it?” she asked and he immediately laughed out loud.  
“No … Angel’s definitely don’t have free-will. Heaven, or at least the Silver City, is very much a dictatorship lead by a very authoritarian and largely non-communicative leader. He speaks in commands and we obey or he demands information pertaining to our duties and we report to him, compliantly. However, I began to question his demands,” he gulped.

He still couldn’t meet her gaze.

“So he cast you out?”  
“Yes, his last words to me were … if you desire free-will then you will forever punish those who are like you … and I then I fell.”  
“Into Hell.”  
“Well, it wasn’t Hell then, there were no souls yet to populate it. Humanity didn’t exist yet. But the structure was there and later there were demons, but initially, I was on my own.  
“Oh Lucifer…” she gasped in horror, “Was it terrible?”  
“It was lonely and dark. I really do not like solitude and a lack of light, you know that. I couldn’t see my stars in Hell,” Lucifer’s voice had grown dark and very serious.

Chloe moved closer to embrace him and at first, he flinched when she touched him, but slowly he allowed her to comfort him. After a few minutes, he continued with his story.

“He created Humanity soon afterwards, and then the demons were ‘born’.”  
“Where did they come from?”

This was a very steep learning curve and she wasn’t at all sure she had her facts, characters, and timelines in the right order.

“Do you know the story of Adam and Eve?”  
“Well … yeah, everyone does, but surely that is not true? Really?” She asked incredulously.  
“Oh it’s true alright … although it has been drastically simplified over the years. Well, before Eve there was another woman … Lilith, who was paired with Adam. But they were incompatible and she was cast out of Eden and eventually, she encountered me ...” he trailed off.  
“I thought the Devil, you, tempted Eve … but you’re saying it was Lilith you tempted?”  
“I didn’t need to tempt Lilith, she was already her own woman, very knowledgeable and very much an equal-opportunity sort of gal. No, she made a deal with me. You see I needed assistants to help run Hell, for I knew what my assignment was and I knew I would very shortly have plenty of souls that required imprisonment. Lilith desired independence, freedom, and immortality.”

He paused for a moment to ensure she was keeping up and then continued.

“Anyway, Lilith and I formed the demon population, and then I granted her freedom and her wishes.”  
“You … you created demons … like Maze … are you Maze’s father?”  
“Not exactly. We certainly didn’t copulate in that sense … let’s just say I was still a somewhat pure Angel then and copulation wasn’t even something I’d even considered, let alone with a human. No, the demons were created by magic, she volunteered some DNA and I supplied the necessary mojo.”  
“You were a virgin!” she exclaimed, trying very hard to contain her laughter rather unsuccessfully.  
“That’s what you picked up on out of that speech?” He said throwing a pillow at her.  
“Well … it’s just so weird to think of you as a virgin … I mean you are so experienced, so insatiable,” she countered and he smiled.  
“I am aren’t I … but we all had to start somewhere. But I am definitely experienced and skilled now, would you like me to show you? I am ready if you are.”  
“No, not now. I think we did more than enough of that last night,” she responded.  
“Detective, I do believe you’re blushing!” he exclaimed.

She threw the pillow back at him and attempted to change the subject.

“So you and Lilith created an army of demons so that you could punish and torture the damned.”  
“More like the guilty, although not in exactly the same way that you would classify guilty,” he said and could see she was confused so he continued.  
“Hell is not all about physical torture … although that does occur sometimes … mostly it's reminding people of their own perceived guilt, over and over again. It’s known as a hell loop.”  
“What do you mean their own perceived guilt.”  
“People harbour guilt for the most amazing reasons, for crimes, for sin, for temptation, even for offending people. In Hell, we make them think about it, relive it, be tortured by it … over and over again until they can accept their sin and forgive themselves … although not many do.”  
“But I have guilt … does that mean I am going to Hell?”

She felt her heart beat quicken at the shocking realisation of what he'd just told her.

“No! Never! You will never ever go to Hell … I will make sure of that,” he exclaimed hurriedly.  
“But how? … I mean I’ve shot people, and appeared topless in a movie, and I cheated on a Math test once in high school, and I got divorced … and Lucifer I … I …”

Tears poured down her cheeks as she realised it was that easy to end up in Hell. Now it was his turn to embrace and comfort her, he literally cradled her in his arms and gently wiped the tears from her face.

“You are not going to Hell … not if I have any say in it at all, which as the King of Hell you’d think I do. Anyway, nothing you have described even sounds remotely like the level of guilt required to end up there. Mistakes are fine, humans are not perfect, it is more to do with the feelings behind those mistakes, the intent, the malice, the lack of remorse, and also the effect that your guilty actions may have on others. You don’t have any of those factors in your personality and the effects on others were either non-existent, minimal, or justified and have long since been rectified in a positive or deserved outcome for all involved. Therefore you are not going to Hell,” he said again, and slowly she started to relax.

“Detective … you are a good person. You have helped and saved more people than you have ever hurt, you have helped me immensely and I believe in you. Forgiveness must be something you give yourself and then you will be safe.”  
“Have you forgiven yourself?” she asked him.

Silence. He was once again staring out the window.

“It’s different for me,” he eventually said very softly.  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yes … what I did was unforgivable, Angels must be held to a higher justice, we were created as perfect vessels through which all existence is based on, if we act in defiance it will cause huge ripples in the harmony of the universe.”

He turned back towards her and she saw he had tears in his eyes.

“And I also killed my brother,” he said very quietly.

Chloe knew about Uriel, but was not really aware of the underlying reasons or what their previous relationship had been like. She wasn’t sure how to counsel him through that particular admission of guilt. She wished she could promise he wasn’t going back to Hell or help him to forgive himself, but it wasn’t that simple. She knew it and she was sure that Lucifer also knew it. Guilt was very powerful.

She leant forward and kissed him gently on the lips. He was slow to react but eventually, he began to return the embrace.

“I love you Lucifer,” she said as they broke apart.  
‘I love you too Detective,” he said.

The words are barely more than a whisper and he had never appeared more vulnerable. But they were spoken out loud and with more sincerity than any declaration she’d ever heard from him before. And she knew they were the truth because he never lied.  
Chloe didn’t get a chance to respond, as she met his eyes a brilliant flash of light entered the room and suddenly they were no longer there.


	2. Coffee Chat

They were floating upwards through what appeared to be a tunnel. She could see Lucifer just ahead of her but couldn’t seem to call out to him. He seemed to know that she was thinking about him though because he turned around and reached out his arm towards her. They clasped hands tightly.

Almost as suddenly as their impromptu journey had begun it was over and they were deposited upon a cold, hard surface that was incredibly shiny. They slowly got to their feet and Chloe looked around in wonder.

They were in a wide open area, standing upon a suspended platform floor of glass-like tiles that seemed to be both white, silver, translucent, and glowing all at once. Not far away she could see tree-like structures, massive trees, that were planted or originated somewhere below their current platform level and yet towered above the ground for several hundred metres. The trees glowed from within and also seemed to be draped in soft silvery light. They reminded her a bit of the tree in the Avatar movie, the one that had been alive with the spirits of the alien creatures. Each tree seemed to have little lights like fire-flies hovering around it.

Beyond the forest of trees there was a megastructure towering above the canopy. It resembled shards of crystal, standing upright, and arranged across various levels that seemed to hover as if by magic. The crystal-like palace glowed in a silver coloured hue. 

But perhaps the most spectacular sight was the sky. It was like being in an observatory and looking at the various star maps … but much, much more beautiful. It was simply a vision of deep space, black as pitch, and absolutely filled at quite close range with stars, planets, asteroid belts and other cosmic matter. Everything was slowly moving, rotating, in a constant manner that added to its magnificence.

“Are we in … Heaven?” She asked turning around in circles gazing upwards at the sky.  
“Yes … yes we are. Doesn’t seem to have changed much.” Lucifer replied.  
“How did we get here? Am I dead? Why are you here? I thought you weren’t allowed here?” Chloe asked in rapid succession questions that were fuelled by more than a little bit of panic.

Gently he touched her arm and gave her a reassuring kiss on the cheek.

“You’re not dead, that I am sure of … you are far to corporeal for that, as for why I am here … I have no idea, other than perhaps Dad has summoned me, or us.”  
“Dad … as in God? We have been summoned? Oh boy,” she exclaimed in a shocked tone.

Her life was one unexpected turn after another lately.

A man was approaching them, although Chloe was aware of the fact that he was definitely not human. For starters, he had wings, like Lucifer’s, except his were a pale dove grey. He also seemed to emit a steady glow like an aura that surrounded his whole body but intensified around his head, like a halo. He also seemed to glide more than walk. As he came closer Chloe was able to see that he was tall, slender, and appeared to look Japanese. He wore a long grey robe with a pale blue apron-like garment made of chainmail armour over the top. The sleaves of his robe were wide enough to fully encase his hands which were clasped in front of his body. At his waist, attached to a belt was a silver sword, sheathed in a protective case that had various inscriptions imprinted upon it that Chloe could not decipher.

“Hello Samael,” the Angel greeted Lucifer.   
"Hello Raphael," Lucifer replied.

Chloe was aware of the fact that they were not talking in English, or any other human / Earthly language, but for some reason, she could understand them. The words seemed almost musical to her, and she sort of felt their meaning rather than interpreted it.  
  
“Father would like to see you,” Raphael said, beckoning them to follow him.

They set off in the direction of the trees and the large silver structure that Chloe had noticed in the distance.  
“Lucifer, you’re glowing,” Chloe commented after a little while.

She was looking at him in amazement because he was indeed glowing, in a similar manner to Raphael.

“Yes, it’s an Angel thing, seems I still have the mojo.”  
“Are you nervous?”  
“Terrified …” he replied quietly.

She gripped his hand a bit tighter, silently showing her support. He smiled at her in thanks.

Chloe surveyed her surroundings. They were travelling along a pathway made of the white/silver/glass-like tiles. The path was also suspended in mid-air, although not by any visible cables or ropes, and surrounded by the forest of trees. Chloe was now aware of a gentle chirping sound that resembled crickets although much more subtle than those noisy insects.

“So this is Heaven ... What are these trees for?”  
“Abodes for the souls. See those lights? Each one is a soul. That’s how I know you're not dead, far too corporeal to be dead.”  
“Is that what is making that chirping noise? Souls?” she inquired and he simply nodded.

She wondered whether it was the souls talking or singing or simply floating that was creating the sounds. There were thousands of trees and each one must have had a hundred thousand little lights.

“That’s a lot of souls, I guess quite a few people make it to Heaven after all.”  
“Hhmmm,” was all Lucifer responded with.

Chloe wondered how many souls were trapped in Hell.

“And that larger structure, that looks like a palace?”  
“That is the Silver City, home of God, Goddess, and the Angel choir … well not Goddess anymore.”  
“That’s where we’re going isn’t it?”  
“Yes,” Lucifer replied simply in a nervous tone.

At the entrance to the Silver City, there were large doors or were they gates? It seemed that this was the end of where the souls were permitted and only authorised personnel were allowed into the city. Two Angels stood guard at the doors, but they were not like Lucifer or Raphael. For starters, they were smaller and had multiple sets of wings. They also didn’t have regular faces, rather they more closely resembled glowing porcelain statues with delicate sculptured features. They hovered several feet off the ground, their long white cloaks completely covering any legs and feet, if they had any at all. They each held a long bejewelled septor. Chloe couldn’t help but stare, but they barely seemed to notice her.

The doors were decorated in ornate carvings that resembled leaves, flowers, and trees. The patterns seemed to be alive, constantly moving, Chloe must have noticed six shifts within the design as they walked towards them.

Raphael said something to the two guards, in the same Angelic language that he had spoken to Lucifer, but this time she wasn’t able to innately interpret the meaning. It seemed that Angels had the ability to control who understood them and when. She was, however, able to observe the outcome and therefore conclude the meaning of his words. It appeared to be some form of greeting or opening commandment because the two little Angels knocked once each on the panels with their septors and the doors automatically opened, allowing the trio to enter.

Chloe glanced over at Lucifer to try and gauge his feelings about finally being permitted back inside his home, but if he was feeling anything he certainly wasn’t showing it. He had a very serious poker face.

The Silver City was indeed silver. The magnificence of it was amazing, it shone with a brilliance that could never be replicated in any Earthly metal, yet also appeared to have a softness to it that was comforting. There was no clutter, just wide open spaces and the occasional wall, door, archway, or set of stairs. Doors, walls, and stairs seemed to be moving as they were required for use. Chloe was reminded of the moving staircases from Hogwarts school in Harry Potter books.

One magnificent eye-catching installation was an enormous stained glass window at the top of a set of stairs directly in front of them. Similar to a grand cathedral but much, much more intricate and beautiful. It appeared to depict Angels of all shapes, sizes, and appearances and as Chloe gazed at it the vision changed and the figures within the glass shifted position. Wow, that was impressive.

They were lead up the main staircase towards the window and then through a series of corridors, which were decorated with tapestries and engravings that all seemed to glow silver as if they were woven or etched in pure molten silver. It occurred to Chloe that they probably were.

They passed many Angels, some of them looked like Lucifer, human-like, others most definitely did not. But all were beautiful in their own way. They all appeared to be bustling around with purpose. Not one of them looked directly at her, rather they modestly cast their gaze downwards as they approached. She wondered whether this was a natural Angelic inclination or if they had been commanded not to stare.

Finally, they were lead into an empty room and Raphael stopped in front of a simple wooden door. He turned towards them and spoke to Lucifer.

“Father would like to speak to Miss Decker alone, Samael you are to wait here.”  
“What! Me alone? … No, I want you to come with me … Lucifer please,” she exclaimed in a somewhat undignified outburst that momentarily seemed to surprise Raphael before he regained his composure.

Chloe didn’t care, she was terrified at the idea of visiting God alone. Lucifer looked equally stricken, he opened his mouth to speak but then closed it. Instead, he guided her away from Raphael and spoke in a hushed tone.

“Detective, you must do this … we’re on his turf now and I can’t intervene, I am sorry. He will not hurt you … it is me that he is angry with, not you.”

Chloe stared at him in desperation before realising that he was right. She straightened up and nodded bravely. Surely this couldn’t be any worse than some of her more challenging interrogations with suspects.

“Very well then, bring it on …” she said and turned back towards Raphael who simply opened the door and beckoned for her to enter.

She stepped into a pure white corridor, it was so bright that she momentarily had to shut her eyes and whilst they were closed she was aware that the door had closed behind her. Slowly, nervously she opened her eyes and gasped in shock.

_______________________

She was standing in her house, specifically in the open plan kitchen/dining/sitting area. Everything was exactly as it was before they had been summoned, yet she also knew that it wasn’t her house. For one, it was far too quiet. She couldn’t hear the traffic noise from the nearby freeway or the incessant barking of the neighbour’s dog. It also smelt different, more sterile.

She turned around in a slow pivot wondering at the sheer level of detail that had been achieved and wondering why this layout was chosen as the meeting place. To reassure her perhaps? Wandering into the kitchen area she touched the bench and the sink faucet. Almost automatically she flicked the switch on the kettle, as she would do most mornings, immediately it started boiling. Apparently, in Heaven, even the appliances worked.

“Hello Chloe,” a male voice said suddenly, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

He was sitting on the sofa, definitely in a human form … hadn’t Lucifer once said that his Father was non-corporeal? … Well, now he was, or at least he was pretending to be. He looked to be about 60 years old, Black, with kind eyes. He was wearing a pair of bone coloured slacks, a dark blue button-down shirt and a red blazer. He looked like a cross between Barack Obama and Mr Rogers. Somehow comforting.

“Come sit with me My Child,” he said indicating the armchair adjacent to the sofa.

Unlike the earlier conversation between Raphael and Lucifer, this time the words were spoken out loud in English. God even had an American accent. It made Chloe wonder why Lucifer spoke with a British accent, had he spent time over there?

“I … I ... um …” Chloe stalled, unwilling to approach just yet. “I was going to make some coffee, would you like a cup?” she said hurriedly as she remembered the kettle which was now nearly boiling.

God looked at her for a few moments. At first, he seemed puzzled, then thoughtful, and then he smiled.

“Alright then … coffee.” He said. Chloe was pretty sure that God had never drunk coffee, or any human beverage, in his existence. Was this just the ultimate in politeness?  
“Cream and sugar?” she asked turning towards the refrigerator, she wondered if there were fresh dairy products in Heaven.  
“I will have the same as you,” he responded.

She busied herself preparing the two cups of coffee, he was quiet during this time, he simply sat there on the sofa minding his own business. She tried to not look like she was peaking over at him but she was and it was very embarrassing, especially because every time she looked at him he seemed to be looking directly at her.

She really wished she was dressed more appropriately for her first audience with God. They had both been in their pyjamas when summoned, this meant she was only wearing a long red satin negligee. She contemplated going to her fake Heaven-created bedroom and seeing if all her clothes were there, but decided against it. At least she hadn’t been naked when summoned.

“How are you, My Child?” He asked as she approached the sitting area and placed his cup of coffee on the table in front of him before sitting in the furthest possible chair from where he was sitting.  
“I am well, My Lord, it is very nice to meet you,” she said politely taking a sip of her coffee.

  
He watched her as she sipped her coffee and carefully he raised his own cup. He studied the coffee very carefully before slowly imitating her and taking a sip. Immediately his face distorted into a look of horror and he quickly replaced the cup back on the table.

“I apologise, My Child, I do not think that coffee is my favourite beverage,” he spluttered in a somewhat undignified manner.

Chloe smiled and tried desperately to stop from giggling. In that instant, God really didn’t seem all that scary.

“You are undoubtedly wondering why I have called you here,” he said once he had recovered his composure.  
“Yes, My Lord, I had wondered that.”  
“I wanted to hear why you have seen fit to love my Son.”

The statement itself in any other context may have seemed like a recrimination, but Chloe did not get that impression from this particular expression, rather she heard it like a curiosity and therefore she answered it accordingly.

“I love him because I believe he is a good person ... um ... Angel ... ah ... celestial being. Because he cares for me, and I know he will do anything to protect me,” She explained, unsure as to whether Lucifer was allowed to be called an Angel any longer.  
“My Son was deemed unfit for Heaven and I cast him out, I presume you are aware of this, and yet you love him regardless?”  
“I love him because of it,” she replied.  
“Excuse me?” God asked in apparent confusion.

It must have been the only time in the history of the universe that the omnipotent God had required further explanation of a statement and the irony of the situation was not lost on Chloe.

“I believe it is his unique personality, his quirks, his humour, his fears, and his faults that make him such an amazing individual worthy of my love. He has battled for a very long time to overcome his guilt and has tortured himself endlessly, but despite that he is still capable of empathy and affection, I admire and love that about him.”  
“It does not bother you that he is not perfect?”  
“I don’t believe I could love him if he was perfect,” she replied casually, taking another sip of her coffee.  
“Why is that?”  
“Perfection is not usually a self-determined personality characteristic. Perfection is often a fortunate genetic inheritance. Many people practice for a very long time to try and achieve perfection, but true perfection is very, very rare and the effort required to achieve it can be very stressful. What I admire in an individual is the ability to be aware of one’s own lack of perfection and work constantly to self-improve whilst still honouring and cherishing those around them. That requires true skill and courage.”

He regarded her for a moment, seemingly processing her explanation.

  
“Interesting. Do you believe I made an error in my creation of him?”  
“No, not at all. I believe you created a unique Angel which had the capacity to think for himself and therefore challenged your authority. I too am a parent and I understand how much of a challenge it is to have a willful child.”

Chloe couldn’t believe she was likening her parenting experiences to those of God’s, but in this moment they seemed very similar. Perhaps parenting was a universal ability.

“Beatrice, that is your child’s name, is it not?”  
“Yes, that is correct, however, we call her Trixie for short.”  
“And you have had cause to punish this child for her wilfulness?”  
“Many a time. I too am an advocate for time out as a method of punishment.”

Chloe was extremely unsure as to whether or not ‘time out’ was a reasonable comparison to Lucifer’s punishment, but it was all she could think of.

“And, has this punishment been effective in regards to your … Trixie?”  
“Yes, My Lord, on many occasions. It allows Trixie time to think and consider her actions after which she apologises or otherwise rectifies the situation and all is forgiven.

God appeared to be thoughtfully considering what she had said, finally he spoke again.

“I see. You love your child very much, this I am sure of, it is an admirable quality of yours.”  
“Thank you, My Lord.”  
“My Son, I fear, does not appreciate my love for him in the same way.”  
“That I can confirm. He claims to be very angry at you, but I don’t think it is true anger that he is feeling.”

God immediately looked over at her, his dark serious eyes meeting hers in an expression of intrigue.

“Go on …” he prompted.

Chloe took a deep breath ...

“Just this morning he was telling me about some of his experiences in Hell. Specifically the nature of how the guilty are punished. He said that all souls are capable of leaving Hell if they are able to acknowledge their sin and forgive themselves, but that few ever do. I don’t think that Lucif…ah…Samael… is truly angry at you. I think he is angry at himself. He blames himself for what happened, the rebellion, the incident with Uriel, even his fight with Cain and his struggle to protect me.”

God smiled in a wise way and Chloe was immediately sure that she had determined the underlying reasons for Lucifer’s torment.

“You are very astute My Child, yes, when I cast Samael from Heaven I did so to test him. There were three tests that he had to accomplish. First, he had to accept his punishment and become the Keeper of Hell. Second, he had to spend an adequate amount of time in solitude to reflect and come to terms with his guilt. And Third, he had to put his selfish desires aside and truly love another.”

It was this third condition that interested Chloe the most, she now knew why they had been summoned today of all days.

“He’s almost there isn’t he?” Chloe asked seeking confirmation for what she knew to be true.

God simply nodded.

“Almost. Hell has a strong foundation based upon reflection and inner torment rather than physical torture and damnation. Even I was surprised at the rules and structure Samael has established. His system is able to endure even in his extended absence. I also believe he has spent an adequate about of time in ‘time out’ as you refer to it. And finally, his declaration of love to you this morning was extremely hard for him. Trust is something that has been eroded in him, he feels so much betrayal. But he trusts and loves you, this I know. With this love, he will come to forgive himself, for all of his trespasses. Samael is not aware of all of the circumstances that surround some of his guilt and choices. Some of them he had no control over and is therefore innocent.”

Chloe looked at God intently as he talked about his Son. This did not seem like a vengeful angry father. He seemed to be a very caring and perceptive parent.

“Uriel?” Chloe asked, wondering if the Arch-Angel’s death had been one of those unfortunate inevitable events.

God simply nodded. Chloe could see that it pained him to remember the event, she didn’t want to push him further, however, God chose to continue.

“Uriel was troubled. He was angry at his Mother who had wronged this family, and he disagreed with my decision to release her from Hell. It was not an outright rebellion, yet. However, he was about to travel a path that he would never be able to return from, and Samael stopped him.”  
“You really need to tell Samael that,” Chloe advised and God nodded in apparent agreement.  
“Yes, you are right My Child, it seems I have a long way to go to repair our relationship.”

Chloe was dumbfounded, here was God, seemingly admitting to having made a mistake and telling her that he had been a bad parent. Was she supposed to be his conscience? How does one make God feel better?

“Sometimes I overreact to a situation, especially in regards to Trixie. Lucifer is always telling me that I am too strict with her and I should allow her to have more fun. Perhaps he is right. But eventually, I calm down and let her know when I have erred and then we always have chocolate brownies as a celebration.” Chloe hoped that ending on this lighter note would ease the situation.

God did not respond for quite a while, and Chloe wondered if she had broken him. Finally, he spoke.

“I do hope that chocolate brownies are more appealing than coffee.”

Chloe took a moment to reflect upon that statement before dissolving into laughter. God even smiled. The mood was definitely lightened.

“I will endeavour to speak to my Son, as you advise, and to all of my children more often. I suppose I am fortunate that Samael has not inherited my tendency towards silence.”  
“No, he definitely does not possess that particular genetic trait.”  
“In his case talking has helped him to partially achieve the final step in his test. He has begun to confide the true horror of his experiences … he has never done this before.”  
“Never? In all this time? Not even with Mazikeen or Linda?”  
“Never with such honest reflection, always with anger or denial. You are unique, My Child, your ability to see past his façade and elicit his truth is novel.”

His mention of her uniqueness reminded Chloe of her earlier conversation with Lucifer.

“May I ask you a question, My Lord?”  
“Certainly My Child.”  
“Did you create me for Lucifer, I mean Samael?”

He looked at her for a moment, not in confusion or anguish, but in a contemplative manner as if he was thinking about how best to answer the question. Finally, he said ...

“In a way, yes, but not as you imagine. I simply blessed a future human to be immune to his charms, to see him as he is. I did not guide him to you, or you to him, and I have not interfered with any of your life choices or his in the years since your conception. You have found each other by yourselves.”  
“That’s good, I hoped you were going to say that,” Chloe replied, relieved.

It was amazing how easy it was to talk to this guy. She wasn’t really sure why Lucifer and Cassiel always said their Father wasn’t a good communicator. Unless he was trying extra hard to be relatable on her behalf, that was a definite possibility.

Chloe finished her coffee and placed the empty cup on the table. God’s cup still sat where he had put it earlier. He watched as she moved forward to adjust her position in the chair and get more comfortable.

“Tell me more about yourself,” God said.

Chloe didn’t know where to start … didn’t he already know all there was to know? Or was this a test in self-reflection? Her hesitation clearly showed because he prompted her …

“Are you a believer?” He asked her.  
“Do you mean am I religious? Unfortunately, until extremely recently I would have said no. I was not raised in a church-going family and I have to admit that I was skewing more towards the scientific explanation of our existence rather than the creationism theory. Of course, now I know how wrong that conclusion was.”  
“That is understandable, faith is very difficult to maintain. And, I will admit, the science aspect that humans have constructed is largely accurate within the scope that it covers.”

Now Chloe was amazed. This piece of information seemed unfathomable to her.

“Really? Do you mean that humanity is not descended from two individuals called Adam and Eve? Lucifer was telling me just this morning that they did indeed exist … and he never lies.”

God smiled, his eyes seemed to be affectionately recalling a time, long, long ago.

“Adam and Eve were indeed the first two humans that I created, well with the exception of Lilith … but that is a slightly different story …” God started to explain.

Did he know that Lucifer had told him about Lilith this morning? Probably. He seemed to know other things about their discussion. At any rate, she didn’t get much of a chance to wonder because God had continued talking …

“And they did indeed live in a garden called Eden, however, they were only the first individuals by a micro-second, quickly followed by many, many others, of all races and spread all throughout the globe. I understand that history has focussed on Adam and Eve’s story more so than the others because of the incident and subsequent expulsion …” His explanation trailed off, Chloe got the impression that his memory was no longer pleasant for him.

Chloe knew enough about the Bible to realise that the incident he was referring to involved Lucifer, however, she now suspected that it was definitely not an apple that was offered and accepted. Lucifer’s confessions of enjoying the more primal human desires with both women and men could only mean one thing in this context. Oh boy. She tried to think of a way to change the subject slightly, anything to stop God from thinking ill of Lucifer.

“What about the Neanderthals and other prehistoric humans that scientists have discovered?”  
“They existed, but they were not perfect, they were modelled on the apes that I had already created, however, they were unable to retain a soul and therefore were not truly unique or pure. As you have learnt, I had a tendency to try and create perfection so I made each of their breeds extinct and started again until I settled on a prototype.”

Hearing God refer to humans as prototypes was definitely an interesting concept. But Chloe could appreciate his standpoint, she herself had baked no fewer than seven cakes for Trixie’s school fete before finally achieving one that she deemed suitable. It was a bit of a strange comparison. She was comparing making cakes with creating all of humanity? Weird.

“Humans seem to resemble the Arch-Angels, and they function the same way as humans …” she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

She meant that they were capable of sex, but really there were other functions that Angels appeared to have in common with humans and she hoped that God focussed on those rather than her dirty thoughts.

“My Arch-Angel children were my eventual inspiration for humanity. However, you are correct in your summation that they are indeed a different species to humans. Normally Angels do not have organs, blood, or even bones beneath their human-like exterior … rather they have light, a powerful and very flexible light, which provides them with strength, immortality, and sustenance.”  
“Normally?” she asked seeking more information.  
“It has never happened before, but it would seem that Samael has the ability to amend his structure, at will, when he is with you.”  
“That is why he is vulnerable around me …” Chloe concluded.  
“Yes, that is correct.”  
"But he has always said that he doesn't know why he's vulnerable ... but you're saying he's doing it on purpose?"

This went against all the "I never lie" statements that Lucifer had ever said. 

"It is not a deliberate act on his part, and he quite possible does not realise that he can control it. His subconscious desires true vulnerability around you, he wants to trust you and love you, being human is his way of showing you that."  
"Oh, wow," Chloe said exhaling in surprise ... "So when Lu - … Samael is around me is he truly mortal?”  
“Yes, in so far as he has a very similar biological make-up and therefore can be injured, will age, and is more vulnerable to emotion and love, he does still have his Angel strength and wings and his Devil face ...”

God’s voice felt strained upon stating that last mystical phenomenon, obviously Lucifer’s Devil face was a bit of a sore point.

“I told him that I needed to take my pill …” Chloe said without thinking.

She quickly looked up at God upon uttering those words realising with embarrassment that she had literally discussed her sex life and contraception with God. He simply chuckled. God actually chuckled.

“Yes, you will need to take precautions if you wish to avoid that occurrence in the future. Is that something that you wish for one day?”  
“Perhaps, I mean I hadn’t really considered it until very recently. Our relationship is still very new and there have been some very big hurdles that we have had to clear first. But one day, maybe. Although I am not at all sure about having a hybrid Angel / Human baby. Has that ever happened before?”  
“No. No, it has not. There are legends known as Nephilim’s but they are not the same thing, they are essentially the demons that were created by Samael and Lilith,” God explained.  
“Yes, he told me about them, well I hope I don’t have one of those! As much as I like Mazikeen,” she said hurriedly.

God smiled at her reassuringly.

“Do not fret My Child, I would never allow any harm to come to you in that manner. At any rate, no decisions need to be made immediately.”  
“Thank you, My Lord.”

There was a moment of silence, Chloe was trying to wrap her head around their conversation so far and God, at least for the moment, didn’t appear to have anything further to say. Eventually, Chloe restarted the conversation because she was dying to know something.

“Are you planning on forgiving him?” she asked directly and with confidence.

God simply gazed at her and smiled before nodding gently.

“Yes, if he will accept it. I have wanted to bring him back many a time over the past millennia but I needed to know that he had indeed changed for the better. I am now assured of that.”  
“I believe he would be very grateful for your forgiveness, My Lord, on one condition.”

Momentarily, God's eyes appeared to flash. Not red like Lucifer's, they simply appeared a little brighter for a second. Chloe was shocked.

“I am not accustomed to being held to conditions,” he stated in a neutral tone.

Chloe would see that this particular request was causing him some tension. His eyes had subdued back to their human-like appearance, but his tone of voice was not as warm as it had been. Bravely she continued ...

“I suspected as much, however, I know Lucifer, he is very stubborn and he will not accept your forgiveness if it means he must return to a perfect expectation. He is not perfect as we have discussed, and he is extremely unwilling to mould himself to other’s expectations, especially yours it would seem. He needs to be free to make his own choices and I believe they will ultimately be good choices, definitely with a little cheekiness and drama mixed in, but his path is true and honourable.”

Chloe was relieved to see that God's expression appeared to soften as she explained her position. He smiled.

“Your summation of him is very astute My Child. I am fascinated by your ability to analyse him. I assume this is a human quality, one of which I admire. I admit to not having paid much attention to humanity recently, I have been busy studying black holes and the concept of time travel recently.”

Chloe was amazed at that revelation, she wondered what there could possibly be for God to study considering he must have invented black holes, and probably even time. Surely he was the expert on them? Maybe not.

“Tell me more about humanity … My Angels keep me informed of major developments, however, I am aware that their scope of understanding is limited.”

Chloe pondered his request for a moment, it really was a very large scale question, one that she really didn’t feel qualified to answer. She also didn’t want to cast judgemental aspersions on specific countries or individuals.

“I believe a great deal of humanity has lost its way. You asked me earlier if I was a believer, and I think that my answer is true for a great many of Earth’s population. There are those who do not believe in the divine but are otherwise good people. However, there are others who take the opportunity to be corrupt and take advantage of people less fortunate. There are still true believers who are kind, honourable, and charitable. However, there are also those who consider themselves to be believers but who commit horrific acts in your name, genocide, terrorism, torture, and … expulsion.” Chloe wasn’t sure if she should add-in that last one, but it was true.

God listened intently to what she had said and then met her gaze with a reflective thoughtful expression.

“I created humanity perfect from a biological standpoint, the intricacies and possibilities of the human body and mind are truly unique and unable to ever be replicated, even in animals. However, I also permitted you to have free-will, allowing you to choose whether or not you believe and how to display that belief. I have no preference for any of the individual human religions or traditions, each has its own merits and also faults. All I want is for humanity to be at peace with each other. But it seems that free-will stops that from occurring. What you have described does not surprise to me, it has occurred in an almost cyclical manner since the time of Adam and Eve and their rather delinquent children.”

Chloe tensed up at the reference to Cain, or Pierce as she knew him, and God seemed to realise this because he extended a hand and lightly touched her own hand in a comforting gesture that calmed and warmed her.

“I have attempted many times to intervene and put a stop to the senseless violence and inequality, perhaps not too recently, but many times. The last was my deliverance of Michael as a gift.”  
“Michael? I've heard of him … he is another Angel isn’t he? Lucifer’s brother.”  
“He was the first Angel that Goddess and I created, and therefore he is the most powerful. His initial role was to help create the Heavens and the Earth and therefore I sent him to Earth to help save humanity, but he was not known as Michael during this time …” God trailed off and looked directly at Chloe to gauge her reaction.

At first, she simply nodded … ok, another Angel sent to Earth, just like Cassiel was sent to Earth to send Lucifer back to Hell, no biggie … Wait, not known as Michael … oh man, really?

“He was Jesus …” she said softly and God nodded.  
“He was hurt quite badly by his experience. In order for him to save humanity, I made him vulnerable and unfortunately, he succumbed to its effects.”

Chloe gasped and covered her mouth with her hand at the realisation that God had truly allowed his Son to die upon the cross.

“You think me cruel for my parenting decisions, do you not?”  
“It is not for me to judge My Lord, your family and existence are very different from mine.”  
“Michael did momentarily question my tactics, just before his human body perished, but ultimately he trusted me, and he was rewarded for his good deeds and his faith.”  
“I see,” was all Chloe could manage.  
“Tell me, My Child, could you ever physically hurt your child in the name of punishment?”  
“I have had cause to smack her on occasion. Although the guilt associated with it was overwhelming and after one particularly trivial incident I decided that I was never going to utilise that particular discipline ever again.”  
“A similar vow to the one I made after Michael returned, unfortunately, it has taken me this long to rectify the situation with Samael. He seemed to be doing so well as the ruler of Hell, however, he had also become very set in his ways of temptation and sin. He no longer prayed to me, he did not appear to need me in any way. I could not reach out to him or forgive him too easily, or I would appear weak.”

The thought that God had insecurity concerns was incomprehensible to Chloe, but oddly reassuring all the same. Although she did mentally call bullshit on his ‘appearing weak’ excuse. Really? He was God for God’s sake, surely he could do or say anything and still command respect. But she didn’t dare voice those opinions. If God knew what she was thinking he didn’t show any indication of it.

“Samael (she was getting used to referring to Lucifer by his traditional name) has truly changed. I am certain of that.”  
“Yes … I am certain as well, My Child.”

There was a short interlude whilst Chloe took the coffee cups up to the kitchen, pouring God's full cup down the sink. She wasn't exactly sure why she was cleaning up, but it seemed like the natural thing to do. As she discarded the coffee, she wondered whether or not he would prefer tea. She had never particularly enjoyed that drink, but he did seem like a tea drinker. Oh well, maybe for their next meeting.

“My Lord, to change the subject, there is the matter of Climate Change. Are you familiar with that issue?” she asked as she returned to the living room.

God took a moment to redirect his thoughts before replying …

“Yes, Michael, who oversees Time and the Seasons has informed me of Earth’s current environmental predicament. I was saddened to hear that it appears to largely be caused by mankind this time.”

Chloe nodded.

“The Earth was designed to be self-protective and balanced. Wildfires, floods, volcanos, and droughts all serve their purpose in this balancing act. Humanity was designed with the cognitive know-how to exist within Earth’s boundaries in harmony, however, as I mentioned earlier their free-will often disrupts this balance.”  
“So, there is nothing that can be done?”  
“There are always possibilities, My Child, but interventions often come with side-effects that are not always pleasant or preferred. However, I will send my four most trusted Children to visit the most afflicted areas on Earth. They will form connections with the local humans and I will allow them to make subtle adjustments that will help.”  
“I think that is a very wise solution, My Lord.”

The conversation seemed to naturally wind up at that point, and God raised from his chair and offered her his hand. She was shaking the hand of God!

“Perhaps that is enough discussion for the time being. I must now speak with Samael. Come with me My Child, but do not be afraid when we leave this room, my form will be very different when I encounter my Son.” Chloe gulped in apprehension. I guess she was going to see his true non-corporeal form after all.


	3. The Heavenly Choir

They left the room and were back in the small waiting area. Chloe saw that Lucifer was still waiting for her. Upon seeing his Father he immediately cast his gaze downwards reverently.

Chloe could see that God’s form had indeed changed. He was now simply a swirling mass of light and energy and he was gathering in front of where Lucifer was standing. In a rather intimidating action, the mass of light and energy seemed to be growing in both size and pure concentration. Was he showing his dominance over his Son? Chloe highly suspected he was.

“Samael, I have had a very enlightening discussion with your partner, you are very fortunate to have her in your life,” God’s voice boomed around the room.

Once again the words were not being spoken in English rather their traditional sing-song Angelic dialect, however, she was able to feel their meaning.

Lucifer slowly raised his face upwards to meet the light. Chloe could see that he was trying his best to control his emotions and not appear terrified but she could also see he wasn’t being particularly successful.

“Yes Father, I am very fortunate.”  
“Tell me, My Son, do you wish to return to the fold of the Heavenly Choir? If I allow some adjustments at the behest of your partner?”

Lucifer seemed truly baffled by that comment and he briefly looked over at Chloe with a questioning expression before directing his gaze back towards his Father.

“Adjustments?” he asked.  
“I realise now that I should not expect perfection in my children, that you are all unique and potentially flawed individuals who should be allowed to live your own lives, within reason, accordingly to your own moral compass, and that I must permit this and love you for it regardless.”

Lucifer did not reply, rather he simply stared, seemingly dumbstruck by what he had just heard.

“I am waiting, My Son, do you wish to return to the fold of the Heavenly Choir under those adjusted conditions?”  
“Yes, Father, I would very much like for that to happen.”  
“Very well then.”

Suddenly the light swirled even faster around Lucifer. Suddenly, and rather shockingly, Lucifer was raised off the ground and his Angelic glow intensified to the point where Chloe could no longer see any of his human-like features rather he was simply a glowing winged figure.

“Samael, My Son, I hereby grant you forgiveness for all your trespasses, real and perceived. I also ask that you let go of your anger towards myself, it does you no good, even if it is justified.”

Chloe supposed that this was as close as God was going to get to apologising to his Son. Oh, well, baby steps.

“Samael,” God continued, “I welcome thee back to the Heavenly Choir, as the Arch-Angel of Light, Lucifer the Morningstar.” Chloe was amazed at the sight she was witnessing, it was awe-inspiring.

When Lucifer was lowered back towards the floor and the glow subsided Chloe could see that he had tears of happiness pouring down his cheeks.

“These human-like responses are new to me, something that you have obviously developed during your absence. I am fascinated by this and wish to know more about human influence on Angels. I, therefore, will be issuing a directive that all Arch-Angels will frequent humanity on a more regular basis and endeavour to form human connections and learn from these experiences," God said to his Son in their telepathic language.

Lucifer simply nodded, his eyes still damp. Then God's voice changed. From the swirling mass of light, the familiar American accented baritone voice of his human form could be heard. 

"Chloe, if you agree, I would like to engage you as my personal consultant in all matters human. Let us attempt to correct the moral path of humanity. I will require you to visit on a regular basis, do you agree?”  
“Yes, My Lord,” she replied immediately.

Lucifer appeared absolutely dumbfounded upon hearing his Father speak this way. It was very clear that God had never, ever spoken English or any other human dialect. 

“I will be returning you both to Earth. You shall remain there for 60 years, live your lives well, and return to visit occasionally. Samael, I will allow you to temporarily age physically so that you can maintain your relationship with Chloe in a socially acceptable context. Your partnership is true and I give it my blessing. When you return to Heaven permanently you will be returned to your current physical appearance, and Chloe, you and your family members will be honoured as Higher-Order Souls.”

Chloe had no idea what that meant, but she assumed it meant that she and Trixie and any other children she may have would have more privileges in Heaven, perhaps access to the Silver City.

“Thank you, Father,” Lucifer said and Chloe echoed his comments.

“Raphael,” God beckoned reverting back to the Angelic telepathy.

Almost instantaneously the other Arch-Angel appeared in the room.

“Assemble the choir, My Son has returned and must be welcomed,” God commanded.  
“Certainly Father,” Raphael replied and he was gone again.

Lucifer took Choe’s hand in his and held it tightly as they turned to follow Raphael. Suddenly Chloe thought of something and she turned back towards God. She felt Lucifer’s grip momentarily tighten as if to try and stop her, but ultimately he did not say or do anything.  
“My Lord, may I speak?”  
“Yes, My Child, what is that you wish to say?”   
“I was wondering if Stephen Hawking was in Heaven?”

Now she really did feel Lucifer’s grip tighten, he was obviously perplexed by her seemingly bizarre question. But he had not be privy to their earlier frank conversation.

“Hawking, Hawking, Stephen …” God repeated as if he was mentally searching through a Rolodex of names and addresses, “Yes, he recently arrived in Heaven. Why do you ask My Child?”  
“He was an eminent scientist on Earth, and I believe his focus and expertise was in relation to space, the Universe, black holes, and time travel, he may be of interest to you in regards to your recent … um … interests,” Chloe explained.  
“That is very interesting, My Child, I might pay him a visit,” God responded after a moment’s consideration. “Now leave or you will be late for the assembly,” he commanded and just as suddenly as it had appeared, the light that was God was gone.

Lucifer and Chloe left the room.

“Well that was definitely a first,” Lucifer said as they walked down the stairs.  
“What was?”  
“Your conversation with Father, I don’t believe anyone has ever interacted with him in such a manner. Not even Mum.”  
“He is quite a nice … man … I think I will enjoy consulting with him in the future.”  
“Another first … You really do amaze me, Detective.”  
“Well, it was easy really. We just talked about our children. Two parents having a chat, oh and we solved climate change. No biggie.”  
“Hmmm. Now, who is being coy about their talents.” He remarked laughing and she smiled back.

They had neared the end of the corridor and ahead of them was a gigantic decorative archway. As they passed underneath Chloe gasped at the sight that lay before them. They were in a magnificent auditorium ornately decorated with silver and white embellishments. Floating platforms were arranged in a U shape with a large ornate balcony and throne structure at centre stage. Behind the throne was the reverse side of the magnificent stained glass window that she had seen earlier. The auditorium was filled with more Angels than Chloe could possibly count, of all shapes, sizes, and appearances. Despite the huge numbers of them, there was not a single sound to be heard.

“What is this?” She asked in amazement.  
“This, my dear Detective, is the Heavenly Choir, and they are going to sing for us.”  
“Sing? For us?” She parroted in amazement.

Suddenly there was a movement of light in the throne balcony and Chloe was aware that God had taken his place at the helm. Instantly the choir began to sing, and the sound was amazing. Musical, lyrical, and a true blessing to the ears was the only description she could think of. The sound seemed to penetrate her soul and warm her from within. The words, once again, were not in English but she was able to understand them or more accurately feel their meaning. They were singing a haunting message of love, welcome, and acceptance, presumably directed at Lucifer. Each Angel was glowing whilst they sang and once again Lucifer was glowing in a similar manner. The music and voices echoed around the auditorium in an amazing surround sound experience that no amount of Earthly acoustic equipment could ever hope to recreate. The choir sang for an indeterminable period of time, simultaneously feeling like it was just long enough but also too short as it came to an end.

_________________

Afterwards, they congregated in a much smaller room, just her, Lucifer, and 25 other human-like Angels. Chloe guessed these to be his Arch-Angel brothers and sisters, she recognised Cassiel [Amenadiel] and Raphael.

“Detective, I would like to introduce you to my immediate brothers and sisters.”  
“Aren’t all Angels your brothers and sisters?” She asked.  
“Yes, technically, but we were created at different times and for different purposes. The others are more like cousins or distant relatives to me, we do not mingle too often. These are my family members. We are the original children who helped to create and continue to govern the Universe and the Earth,” Lucifer explained.

They made their way around the room, each Arch-Angel taking time to greet Chloe and Lucifer and welcome him back into the fold. Chloe was very grateful to finally meet them all. Since her revelation about Lucifer, she had started to read the Bible and other relevant texts but she could not seem to find any consistency across the various records and religions. In the various documents names, status, duties, and especially appearances seemed to be interchangeable. There were many more Arch-Angels that she had initially thought, most of the texts seemed to mention between three and eight by various names and titles, however, today she met 25 of them. They were all of a similar age, approximately 35 years old, and very tall and beautiful just like Lucifer. They also seemed to represent every conceivable race or geographical point of origin.

Chloe learned each of the Arch-Angel’s areas of expertise and responsibility, such as Raphael, who was the Arch-Angel of Healing, responsible for the health and wellbeing of humanity as a whole. Chloe made a mental note to pray to him in regards to Covid-19. Ariel, the Arch-Angel of Nature, was especially intriguing as she told Chloe in her New Zealand accent, how she was responsible for all of God’s creatures and plant life not just on Earth but on every planet in the Universe. Apparently, extra-terrestrial life, although not human-like or intelligent, was a very real thing.

Of course, she already knew Cassiel, but it was interesting to talk to him again now that she was fully aware of his status. He too had a rebellious history with God, probably why he had been stuck on Earth powerless, but it seemed he was redeemed now. Then there was Gabriel, God’s messenger, who was well known as the Arch-Angel who told Mary she was with Child. The Angel of Death, Azrael, was another Arch-Angel with whom Chloe was already aware of. Lucifer had mentioned ‘Azrael’s blade’ quite a few times the previous year, and now she was standing face to face with the lady herself. Not at all like the popular depiction of Death, which was a horrid looking Grim Reaper figure, Azrael was actually tall, blonde, and appeared to be of Scandinavian origin.

Some of them had gifts for her. Jophiel, the Arch-Angel of Wisdom and Illumination, gave her a book, that she was told would explain everything she ever wanted to know about Heaven and Celestial beings, written in a secret language that would only be decipherable by her. Barachiel, the Arch-Angel of Guardian Angels, presented her with a necklace, that had protective qualities and would glow silver in the face of evil.

Finally, they reached the last of the Angels.

“Chloe, this is my older brother Michael. He sits at God’s right hand and helped to create Heaven, the Silver City, and Hell. You are probably familiar with his legend, he visited Earth many years ago, humans called him …”  
“Jesus, yes I know, your Father spoke warmly of you and your time on Earth, it is very nice to meet you … Sir,” Chloe interrupted, taking over the conversation.

Her comments appeared to amaze Michael and Lucifer alike. Apparently, they were really not accustomed to their Father speaking very often or of being described as ‘speaking warmly’. Chloe was beginning to think she was going to destroy God’s reputation as a tyrant.

Upon regaining his composure Michael bowed ever so slightly to her and responded …

“It is an honour to make your acquaintance, My Child. Your conversation with our Father was an unprecedented revelation, you must be a truly remarkable individual,” he said kindly.  
“Oh, I don't know about that. After all, he was not particularly fond of my coffee. But thank you, he is a very nice man.”

Once again Michael’s expression displayed shock at her description of God and his coffee drinking experience. Perhaps they don’t consider him to be a man, after all, he appears to them as a non-corporeal light.

Chloe studied Michael carefully as they were talking. He definitely did not look like the popular images of Jesus. He did have a beard and longish hair, although it was black and thick not flowing and light-brown like the Catholic Church depictions. His skin was olive-brown, and he appeared to be of Middle Eastern origin. This stood to reason, he had been born in Bethlehem. The Catholic Church had really taken some huge liberties to make his legacy resemble a white Anglo Saxon, it was almost criminal.

Now that their introductions were complete, the time had come for them to leave.

“How long have we been here? Time feels so different,” Chloe asked Lucifer as they were guided towards the doors of the Silver City.  
“I told you. Celestial time can feel both non-existent and never-ending depending on the current context, trust me, my time spent in Hell definitely felt never-ending and so did the time I spent waiting while you were talking to Dad. But don’t worry, we have only been gone for approximately five Earth minutes, no one will have even noticed our absence.”  
“Really? Five minutes! That’s amazing.”  
“Come Detective, the gates are being opened.”  
“Oh, Lucifer … when we get back to Earth we have to go to the drug store.”  
“Really? What for? Do you have a headache or require something for your nerves? It has been quite a shocking morning for you.”  
“No, I require another prescription of my birth control pills.”  
“Detective, we discussed this … it is not possible for me to impregnate you.”  
“That’s what you think. I have it on a higher authority that it is indeed possible for you to impregnate me, and me alone, as you are truly mortal and vulnerable around me.”

Chloe chuckled at his dumbstruck reaction to her revelation. Clearly, the thought of possibly becoming a father after an existence of 13 billion years was too much for him to take in.

“Lucky you have been practising your parenting skills on Trixie. Never mind, I won’t pressure you to start a family … just yet.” She said smiling as she walked past him through the gates towards Raphael who was waiting to escort them home.  
“Come on Lucifer, we don’t have all day!” She called after him.

He continued to stare at her in bewilderment for a moment. What on Earth, or not on Earth, did she talk about with his Father? Never, that he was aware of, had anyone, celestial or human ever spoken so frankly with the Almighty. It just was not even a possibility in any Angel’s reconning. What an amazing woman. He smiled in admiration and ran to catch up to his true love.

The End.


End file.
